America Tunes In 2025: NCAA Basketball Tournament Plays Strong on Your Local CBS Affiliate

Written by Katz Television Group | Feb 21, 2025 6:50:30 PM

NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT on BROADCAST outdelivers Cable (TBS, TNT and TruTV)!

By Michael Steinberg | VP/TV Insights & Analytics | Katz Television Group

Katz Television Group analyzed last year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament over the first 2 rounds to gauge how broadcast TV viewership compares to cable TV viewership. Rounds 1 & 2 were chosen because they feature 48 unique games televised across Broadcast (CBS) and Cable (TBS, TNT, TruTV). Having a large sample of games that air across both broadcast & cable, provides us higher confidence in our findings.

BROADCAST DELIVERS over 200% more than TBS or TNT and almost 400% more than TruTV

When viewers are given a choice of where to view NCAA Tournament games on broadcast or cable, they overwhelmingly choose broadcast.
Nationally, CBS outdelivers TBS, TNT, and TruTV.
Locally, CBS affiliate advantage over cable nets can vary, with many having a much larger advantage than we see nationally.

BROADCAST OUTPERFORMS CABLE

Comparison of Adult 25-54 Deliveries for NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Rounds 1 & 2

The local CBS affiliate comes out on top versus cable in virtually every market.
Several markets of different sizes and regionality are showcased below.

To view a local market, use the drop-down arrows in the upper right-hand corner.

The NCAA Tournament on the local CBS affiliate helps magnify local rating success.

Local Broadcast: Delivers More & Reaches More

Source: Nielsen, March 21-24, 2024, Live+SD Impressions/WRAP

Comparisons based on all games from NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Round 1 & 2 for consistency.

Created on Feb. 21, 2025

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